Piyush: We have
the momentum

Calcutta: Sunil Narine has definitely been the standout bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders. But Piyush Chawla has impressed too in the limited opportunities he has got.

Eleven wickets from nine appearances may not be outstanding, but it’s not ordinary as well, especially in a format where usually the batsmen rule.

Chawla has picked up a wicket in almost every match he has played. Pleased with his performance as of now, Chawla refuses to believe that he had to play under the shadow of Narine.

“I prefer to look at the positive side of everything. When Narine bowls, there’s pressure on the batsmen to score from the other end. So it gives the other bowler an opportunity to get a wicket. And if I was that bowler, it has served my purpose.

“However, if viewed from another side, there’s pressure on the individual bowling in tandem with Narine to keep things tight at the other end, especially after Narine bowls a very good over. So there are both advantages and disadvantages here,” Chawla said at the team hotel on Sunday.

“Look, as of now, I feel I’ve had just two bad days in this edition, which is part and parcel of the T20 format. But if you analyse things properly, I think I’m the highest wicket-taker for KKR this season after Narine,” he added.

“But here in KKR, I come in after the first 10-11 overs, which is the period when batsmen go for the big shots. If it’s not your day, you can go for plenty,” he said.Courtesy the Yusuf Pathan tornado on Saturday, Chawla believes momentum will be with KKR when they face the mighty Kings XI in Tuesday’s Qualifier I at the Eden. “When you see yourself finishing second, especially after fighting for the third and fourth spots, confidence of the team automatically goes up. The way we won on Saturday, I strongly feel that we are ahead on momentum.”